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***Auction Highlight*** 1852 $10 Humbert Pioneer Gold K-10 Graded au58+ BY SEGS (fc)

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:7,500.00 USD Estimated At:13,437.50 - 26,875.00 USD
***Auction Highlight*** 1852 $10 Humbert Pioneer Gold K-10 Graded au58+ BY SEGS (fc)
***Auction Highlight*** 1852 K-10 $10 Humbert Pioneer Gold Graded au58+ BY SEGS. Up for Auction is a rare piece of Gold Rush History, a $10 U.S. Assay Humbert Gold Piece. The storied history of the 2 year United States Assay Office under Moffat & Co with Augustus Humbert as Assayer (1851-1852) is a story of intrigue, politics, lies and more lies. In short, California wanted a Mint. Philadelphia and the other branch mints didn’t. A compromise was an assay office. The assay office was only allowed to coin large $100-$10,000 ingots and coins. After much clamor a private mint, Moffat & Company petitioned for and received the contract for coining the new issues of the U. S. Assay Office and, in a letter to Treasury Secretary Corwin, Moffat made the dubious statement that his company alone was then (September 30, 1850) operating a mint in California. Augustus Humbert, a watchmaker in New York, was appointed United States Assayer with a salary of $5,000 a year, while sculptor and medalist Charles C. Wright was commissioned to engrave in New York the original dies which Humbert was to bring with him to California. And over the next two years, instead of $300,000 in coinage, Moffat struck some $10,000,000 worth of coins. With letters as the only means of communication and 3000 miles between Philadelphia and California, things became slippery. In any event, hese coins have become rare and highly sought numismatics and are incredibly rare in uncirculated and near uncirculated condition. Additionally, these coins were very crudely made and I have included examples of PCGS examples in xf40, xf45, au50 and ms61 for comparison to our au58+ example. I think it is obvious that ours is accurately graded as au58+. Our example is tied for 9th finest known, with only 8 examples ever grading finer, 3 in m60, 2 in ms61 and 2 in ms62, and one lone ms68 which has a provenance of having been passed down from Augustus Humbert himself. A Corey's Pick, Bid to Win, Don't let it get Away, you might not find its equal Coin. I give this coin my highest recommendation